FC Energie Cottbus is a German football club based in Cottbus, Brandenburg. It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was East Germany. After the reunification of Germany, Energie played six seasons in the third tier of the German football league system before floating between the 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga for 17 years between 1997 and 2014. From 2014 to 2016, the club played in the third tier, 3. Liga, and were then relegated to the Regionalliga Nordost. In 2018, they were promoted back into the 3. Liga, only to be relegated again the next season.
The DDR-Oberliga was the top-level association football league in East Germany.
Ulf Kirsten is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed Der Schwatte, he is the first player in history to reach a total 100 caps playing with two different national teams. Kirsten's biggest success was the victory of the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal.
1. FC Magdeburg is a German Association football club based in Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 from the football department of the sports club SC Magdeburg and has been one of the top teams in the DDR-Oberliga, winning three championships and seven cup titles. By winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, the club became the only East German club to win a European trophy and also achieved the greatest success in its history. After German reunification, the club fell on hard times but returned to professional football in 2015 with the promotion to the 3. Liga. Afterwards the team managed in 2018 to climb up to the second division, in which the team plays today.
SV Babelsberg 03 is a German association football club based in Potsdam-Babelsberg, on the outskirts of Berlin. The team was founded as Sport-Club Jugendkraft 1903 and again as SG Karl-Marx Babelsberg in 1948 as successor to the pre-war side SpVgg Potsdam 03.
Torsten Gütschow is a German football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is most associated with Dynamo Dresden, with whom he had two successful spells, playing top level football in East Germany and after reunification. In between these he played for three other German clubs, and spent six months with Galatasaray of the Turkish Süper Lig. A strong and instinctive goalscorer, Gütschow was top scorer in each of the last three seasons of the DDR-Oberliga, and was the last East German Footballer of the Year. He won three international caps for East Germany, scoring two goals between 1984 and 1989. Since retiring he has taken up coaching, and has been manager of TuS Heeslingen.
Dimitar Rangelov is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
The 1973–74 DDR-Oberliga was the 25th season of the DDR-Oberliga, the first tier of league football in East Germany.
Eduard "Ede" Geyer is a German former professional football player and manager. He was the last manager of the East Germany national team.
The DDR-Liga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the second level of football competition in the DDR, being roughly equivalent to the 2. Bundesliga in West Germany.
Wolfgang "Maxe" Steinbach is a German former football player and manager who spent most of his career playing for 1. FC Magdeburg in the DDR-Oberliga. At international level, he made 28 appearances for the East Germany national team scoring one goal. In 2006, he was elected Best 1. FC Magdeburg Player of All Times in a telephone vote.
Matthias Maucksch is a German former footballer who played as midfielder or defender and worked as a manager in different Teams of Germanys 4th and 3rd leagues.
Steffen Heidrich is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Jörn Lenz is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. Lenz had four different spells with BFC Dynamo during his professional playing career and has continued to serve as part of the club's backroom staff since retiring in 2008. Lenz played a total of 374 matches for BFC Dynamo between 1988 and 2008. He made two appearances for BFC Dynamo in the 1989-90 European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jens Melzig is a former professional German footballer who played as a defender.
Rayk Schröder is a German former footballer. He spent four seasons in the Bundesliga with TSV 1860 Munich, F.C. Hansa Rostock and FC Energie Cottbus.
Rainer Troppa was a German professional footballer who played as a defender. Troppa began his professional career with BSG Energie Cottbus. He was transferred to BFC Dynamo when BSG Energie Cottbus was relegated to second tier DDR-Liga after the 1975–76 DDR-Oberliga season. He played for the East Germany national team, featuring in the unsuccessful qualifying campaigns for the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and the 1984 European Championship. Troppa died in September 2023, at the age of 65.
Mike Jesse is a former professional German footballer.
Kay Wehner is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
BSV Cottbus-Ost is a German sports club in Brandenburg, Germany. The club was founded in 1899 and sees itself as the legal successor to FV Brandenburg 1899 Sandow and BSG Fortschritt Cottbus. The club competes in the Brandenburg State Football Association in the 1. Kreisklasse Niederlausitz.
